Chop House Burgers

Chop House Burgers in Arlington hasn't been around as long as some of the other great burger joints in town.  But in its short life, it has gained a loyal following and a stellar reputation, all cemented by an appearance on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives in 2012.  When you go, prepare to wait in line.  But if you're with friends, that's actually a blessing as you get to spend more time with them.  And even though you may wait 20 minutes in line to order, your food will come out amazingly fast.  There are about 10 burgers to choose from, including a vegetarian option, but most people I've talked to recommend the Chop House Burger and that is what I went with.  What makes this burger so special is the actual meat patty, which is a char grilled ground beef and slow roasted brisket mix.  Yes, you read correctly. and you can absolutely tell that it is a mix of the two.  Very moist and packed full of flavor; with one bite you can tell why Chop House has become so popular so quickly.  And to add that extra kick of flavor, the Chop House is served with a homemade steak sauce.  Now, I've never been big on steak sauce, so I ordered mine on the side.  It was super fabulous and really brought everything together.  The bacon and melted cheddar were simply icing on the cake of this great burger.  

Chop House didn't break my top 5, although I would say it's in the top 10.  Two things prevented it from entering the top 5 - shredded lettuce and the bun.  The bun is a bit of an oxymoron.  The menu clearly states that it is served on a butter toasted bun and it most definitely was.  And I love a butter toasted bun.  However, there were parts of my bun that were super soggy, I guess from the tomatoes.  One thing that I totally can't stand is soggy bread.  Was almost a deal breaker.  The sogginess and the toastiness of the bun was a bit confusing to the palette.  

Overall, all five of the Burger Babes were very pleased with their choices.

As usual, we had quite a sampling of fried goodness.  You can order a basket or a side.  Even if you're sharing, the side is an ample enough serving. Fried pickles were good, nothing outstanding in my opinion, although Kelly really loved them.  I'm still undecided about the onion rings.  The flavor was greatness, but there was a heaviness about them that I really can't explain.  It might be because I've gotten so used to tempura-style onion rings that anything else seems much heavier.  But again, awesome flavor!!!  The sweet potato fries were probably my favorite though, and what I would order next time.

Chop House is deep in Arlington and probably quite a trek for many of you.  If you can combine a visit to Chop House with a Rangers or Cowboy game, that would be ideal.  But if you can't, it's still worth the trip to experience that incredible ground beef and brisket combination.  And if you go on your birthday, your burger is free!

Things to know before you go:

• You may wait in line to order for a good 20 minutes.
• Older building, crummy AC, especially in August
• Your patty will be cooked well unless specified otherwise.  I asked for medium and it bordered on medium rare, which was fine with me.
• BYOB

Next month, the Burger Babe outing will be a touch different as there is a Burger Fest in Deep Ellum on the 21st.  Hope to see you there.

Fred's Texas Cafe

The Burger Babes headed over to Fred's Texas Cafe this month. Fred's has been around since 1978, although the area it is in has been revitalized recently and it's a pretty active place in Fort Worth. Be warned, if you're using google maps to get there, you might get a little lost.

I want to start out be saying that for me, if a burger gets a shout out in Texas Monthly AND is featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, then it's a no-brainer. Plus, I had visited Fred's last year and had a really great experience. Tonight, however, was a disappointment.

I ordered the Fredburger with cheese and fries. I didn't really time it and I was super hungry, but it seemed like it took forever for us to get out meal. Luckily, we had plenty of entertainment and lots of great conversation. I could be wrong, but about 30 minutes after placing the order, this is what I received:

The fries were good, but needed some salt. The burger, was, just a burger. Mine didn't have a whole lot of flavor, and it was done more than I liked. In fact, learning from last month's experience, I made sure to ask for a little bit of pink. I got no pink. Everyone was in agreement...not enough flavor, and too done (Insert frowny face). Becky ordered their signature burger, the Diablo. It's what they're known for. The menu description say chipotles; what they really meant was chipotle sauce, and yes, there is a difference. While it was definitely spicy, Becky was disappointed. She was ready for those chiptole peppers.

Overall, Fred's Texas Cafe has a great patio with live music, which is absolutely wonderful when you want to have a casual evening with friends on a beautiful spring night. And while I have had a really good burger there before, it's definitely not in my top 5. Maybe hovering at the top 10 mark.

Two not-so-good months in a row. In June, we're headed to The Porch on Henderson. Hopefully, it will knock our socks off. In the meantime, I might need an unofficial BB outing...

Casino El Camino

One of my favorite shows and go-to resources for interesting places to eat is Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Guy Fieri always finds the most interesting places so when I travel, the Triple D app is one of the first places I look. Last week I found myself in one of my favorite cities, Austin, Texas, and lucky for me, Guy had found a burger joint for me.

Casino El Camino is on E. 6th Street. It is most definitely a 6th Street kind of place - dark and quirky filled with lots of character and characters.

After grabbing a table and placing my drink order, I walked up to the order window and ordered a KC burger - BBQ sauce, grilled onions, and cheddar cheese. In most bars, some kind of sporting event would be on the TV. Not this place. While I waited for my burger, I had the pleasure of watching one of my favorite movies, The Thin Man, while listening to an eclectic mix on the jukebox.

After about 10 minutes, my name was called. The burger is huge! It's 3/4 of a pound of locally raised Angus beef. And it was cooked absolutely perfectly. You know a burger that size with those fixins is going to be a mess and it was. But it was a very tasty mess. Because the handmade patty was so big, the chef was smart enough to put it on a big bun, This definitely helped, but unfortunately it made for a very bready burger. And yet, the combination of the meat and that bun really made the burger. As I progressed through the burger, I had to resort to just eating the patty - still good, but I realized it was missing a layer of flavor without the bun. I will mention that I had fries, but that's really all I need to say.

Overall, Casino El Camino is an interesting place to visit with some good burgers. If you're on 6th Street and you're craving a burger, it's definitely a good place to stop.

Lee Harvey's & Hullabaloo Diner

The Burger Babes had a little twist in the month of March. We revisited one of our favorites, Lee Harvey's, to celebrate a birthday. While it's not my number one burger, it is definitely one of my favorites. I think it's the pickles that really get me. And Lee Harvey's is a great place to celebrate a birthday, especially on a beautiful spring evening.



Since you've heard about Lee Harvey's in a previous post, I'll go a little rogue and tell you about a burger I had last week, as I made my way home from Houston. Outside of College Station, on FM 2154, is a little place known as Hullabaloo Diner. While it's only been in Texas about 5 years, it's been in operation as a diner for the past 60 years. I ordered the Hullableu Bacon Cheese Burger and it was fabulous! I was a bit nervous when it arrived - it looked huge! But the meat was perfectly cooked and the kaiser roll it came on was ideal for such a hearty burger. It was packed with A LOT of bleu cheese (it's not for the faint of heart) and the most amazing bacon I've ever had. Perfectly prepared and full of flavor. The burger came with some pretty tasty fries as well. And I love a restaurant that serves sweet tea...and it was just the right amount of sweet.




The burger definitely filled me up which was good, but it made me a bit sad since I didn't have any room for their homemade pie. So I got a slice of coconut cream pie to go. Good choice - a great pie (not as good as mom's, of course).

Not only was the food well worth the stop, but the service was wonderful and super friendly! It must be that Aggie Spirit.
If you're ever on Highway 6, near College Station, I would definitely recommend making a pit stop for their burger, or anything with that bacon.

2009

2009 -

November - Jake's (Dallas)
December - Twisted Root (Dallas)

Between these two Dallas restaurants, Twisted Root was by far everyone's favorite. Although Jake's had some great sides, including sweet potato fries and fried pickle chips, the Twisted Root definitely had the better burger. Don't get me wrong, Jake's is a good burger, but there was an overabundance of poppy seeds on the buns and the thin patties left us wanting more. In fact, I'm pretty sure some of us left thinking "more meat."